It has long been known to dry and press flowers and other organic materials by sandwiching the flower or material between sheets of absorbent material (such as cloth or felt) which are backed by more rigid materials and applying pressure. The use of books to dry and press flowers is one example of this technique. Eventually, the flower will dry. However, problems of absorption of the excess moisture from this drying process arise. Moreover, such conventional approaches are time-consuming and lead to color loss in the pressed material.
Microwave ovens have been used to facilitate the drying and pressing process. For instance, an article from the London Times entitled How to Bloom in a Basket (Jan. 21, 1990), heralding a weekend course on pressing and drying flowers, discloses sandwiching flowers between blotting paper and newspaper and placing the assembly in a flower press and then in a microwave oven. Glorious Pressed Flower Projects by Cellestine Hannemann (1991) also discloses use of a microwave oven in the flower drying process. In Glorious Pressed Flower Projects, the flowers are placed on a polyester pad, and a flat sheet of chipboard is pressed atop the flowers. Marble or glass weights are used to flatten and weigh down the sandwich of flowers. The sandwich is then placed in a microwave oven and heated. Australian Patent No. 695560 to Beecroft describes a flower press in which a flower is sandwiched between thin absorbent sheets backed by felt pads. The pads are then sandwiched between plastic platens held together by clips. The assembly is then placed in a microwave oven.